I have spent the better part of two days trying to learn about glowing shrimp puke. ScienceOnline made me do it.

A few days ago, during a quick tour organized by the annual science communication conference, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences exhibit director Roy Campbell pointed out a tiny invertebrate in the gloomy recesses of the institution’s deep sea exhibit. He said this crustacean was one of the jewels of the tour – a representation of a shrimp named Acanthephyra purpurea that spews a bioluminescent cloud from its mouth when attacked. The burst of bright barf is enough to put would-be predators off their tea.

We didn’t have time to dally around the